Dirigible airship mooring mast



Jan. 14, 1930. R. P. FOX

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP MOORING.MASTS Filed June 6, 1.928 3 Sheets-Sheet lATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1930. R. P. FOX

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP MOORING MASTS Filed June 6, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1930. R; P. Fox 1,743,962

DIRiGIBLE AIRSHIP MQORING MASTS Filed June 6, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR a v Q WM ATTORNEY WITNESS:

.- Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH r. rox, orHARRISBURG, ZPENNSYLVANIA DIRIG-IBLE AIBSHIP Moonme MAST Applicationfiled June ,6, 1928. Serial No. 283,338.

hull, and means accommodating aircraft of different sizes, or where thecable channels are difierently spaced, these means permitting the cablesto be drawn taut so that the structure will not be damaged by wind underordinary conditions or during storms.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists inthe novel construction and arrangement of elements described,illustrated and claimed, it being understood that modifications may bemade within the scope ofthe claims without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

' In the drawings forming part of this application:-

Figure 1 is a plan view showing an airship moored at the nose portion toa mast appearing at the left of the View, and showing two other masts,although one mast at the side would under many conditions provide amplesec ring means.

igure 2 shows a mast in yertical section. Figure 3 is a plan view of theupper portion of the mast, showing especially the lat-- eral extension,having a curved edge portion against which thehull of ,the ship rests,the cable channel on the hull being received by the groove shown at theright of Figure 3.

Flgure 4 is a view partly in horizontal section, and partly in plan,showing the winding 0 means, and the motor by which said means isdriven.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Figure 4, and shows means forcontrolling the clutch and the brake band.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 4 and shows the gearingbetween the motor shaft and the remainder of the mechanism of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a view chiefly in plan showing a 5. mast extension similarto that of Figure 3,

a is surrounded by conventionally an but including two grooved portionsfor accommodating cable channels when the masts are so spaced that thechannels on the sides of a particular ship do not correspond with thespacing which would be provided by the use of a single grooved extensionon each mast.

Figure 8 is a plan view showing a modification in which the deviceagainst which the ship is to be directly moored is movable lengthwisefor the purpose of efiecting correct spacing of the cable channels withreference to the grooves of the moored means.

Figure 9 is a section on line 99 of Figure 8 showing a part of the gearfor engagement with the rack construction of Figure 8.

In the plan view constituting Figure 1,

the hull of the aircraft is designated 10, the

elevator or horizontal rudder being shown at 11, and the latter havingan opening 12 for the rudder l3 movable about vertical axis 14. Cableguiding means, guards or channels are provided in a plurality of,places, and two of these devices may be on the lower side portion of thehull, at 15 and 16, and one at the nose portion 17, the landing cables,such as cable 18 atthe nose portion being assumed to have been securedon the under side of the ship, and having the outer end provided with aring or thelike 19 adapted for engagement by hook 20 of the windingcable 21.

Each mast includes a main vertical structure of concrete or the like,suitably reinforced and designated 25, the base portion being designated26. An upper platform 27 (protecting means, shown designated 28,-andextending upwardly thru the central portion of each mast, a stairway 30is provided.

A central tubular element or shaft 31 is supported by means oftransverse brackets or spider like devices 32 each carrying or includinga hub portion, collar or the like designated 33, the latter directlysupporting the tube 31. The lower-end of the element 31 is outwardlyflared as indicated at 35 and the winding cable 21 thus is permitted therequired play or movement incident to the operation of the winding drum38. l

This drum is to be driven bymeans of motor 39, the armature shaft ofwhich carries a pinion 4O meshing with pinion 41 on shaft 42. This shaftlast named carries a worm 43 meshing with worm Wheel 44 on shaft 45 ofthe winding drum 38. The shaft 45 is mounted in bearings such as '46,and splined to said shaft is a clutch element 47 controlled by lever 48having yoke portion'49, the latter being connected with a collar 49adapted to shift the clutch element 47 A brake wheel 50 is engaged by abrake band 51, and element 50 is carried by one flange 52 of the.windingdrum. Lever 54 controls the element 55 by means of which the brake bandis tightened.

Cable 21 passes over an upper sheave or pulley 60, and has connectionwith hook 20 as before mentioned.

An important feature of the invention is the lateral extension at 111118upper portion of each mast. In Figure 3 a curved element 62 is providedwith groove or channel 63 adapted to receive one of the cable channelsor guides carried bythe side portion of the hull of the aircraft. isplaced as shown in Figures 2 and 3, outer bracinr elements beingdesignated 64, and interme iate bracing elements being shown at 65. Thestructure of Figure 3 is especially adapted for the mast against whichthe nose portion of the aircraft is to be moored, it may also be usedin-the position of either of the other masts of Figure 1, but in orderto provide for the accommodation of airships the hulls of which carrycable guides such as 15 and 16, (these guides being differently spacedon ships of different sizes or makes) ,it is desirable to provide two ormore grooves 63 as shown in Figure 7, and these may be utilizedaccording to the circumstances existing at agiven time.

It is especially desired to moor the ship as securely as possible andfor this reason the cable channels 15 and 16 should fit under givenconditions the grooves 63, provided in the lateral extensions of themast.

In Figure 7 the curved portion of the extension against which the hullrests, is designated 66, and the latter is supported by the intermediatestructure 67 carried directly by the upper portion 27 of the mast.

A modified arrangement is shown in Figure 8, wherein three grooves '63are illustrated as being provided in curved element 66, and carried bythe element last named, or the mooring extension per se, is a rack bar68 adapted to be engaged by gear wheels such as 69 rotated by gearwheels 70 on shaft 71. The latter carries a wheel 80 driven by chain 81passin over wheel 82. on shaft 83 controlled by the vertical shaft 84rotated by hand wheel 85.

It will thus be observed that the hand Wheel just referred to may beemployed for shifting the device 66' longitudinally in order to efiectcorrect spacing of the elements 66 on The said element 62- the adjacentmasts, and especially the grooves 63 on said elements.

Having described the invention what is claimed is 1. In a device of theclass described, a mast including an upper portion providing a platform,a lateral extension projecting from the platform, movable in a straightpath perpendicularly of the vertical axis of the mast, and having acurved surface to fit the hull of an airship, said curved surface beingchanneled in a direction at an angle with the upper and lower edgesthereof, and means for connecting a landing cable with the mast.

2. In a device of the class described, a plurality of masts and lateralextensions therefor, constructed as specified in claim 1 and havingchanneled portions spaced to accomlarly of the vertical axis of themast, means near thebase of the mast for winding a cable passing overthe guiding means and downwardly thru the mast, aclutch and brakeconnected with the winding means, and means for rotating said Windingmeans.

4. In a device of the class described, a mast including an upper lateralextension proportioned to engage the hull of an airship in a directionapproximately parallel with the side of the hull, along which it extendswhen the ship is moored, said element being movable in a straight pathperpendicularly of the vertical axis of the mast.

5. In a device of the class described, a mast including an uppersupporting element, a longitudinally movable element proportioned toengage the hull of an airship in a direction approximately parallel withthe side of the hull, along which it extends when the ship is moored,said element being mounted to operate near the upper portion of the mastand in an approximately horizontal direction, a rack bar carried by thelongitudinal element,'and means for imparting movement to the rack barand longitudinal element.

6. In a device of the class described, a mast includingan uppersupporting element, a longitudinally movable element proportioned toengage the hull of an airship in a direction approximately parallel withthe side of the hull, along which it extends when the ship is moored,said element being mounted to operate near the upper portion of the mastand channeled intermediate of its ends, from the upper to the lower edgeportion, a rack bar carried by the longitudinal element, and meansengaging the rack bar and imparting movement thereto and to thelongitudinal element.

7. In a device of the class described, a plurality of masts, eachincluding an upper portion providing'a platform, a lateral extensionprojecting from each platform and having a curved surface to fit thehull of an airshi said curved surface being channeled in a 1- rection atan angle with the upper and lower edges thereof, and means forconnecting a landing cable with each mast, the extensions and channeledportions being spaced to accommodate projecting cable guiding elementscarried by the hull of the airship.

In testimony whereof I afl'ix my signature.

RALPH P. FOX.

